China Memories: Classes

since I am leaving soon I wanted to do a series of china memories, mainly for me, but also so you can see an overview of my time here. this is the first of (hopefully) many installments.

Class J (S30) Co-facilitating with Kyle, was my first class! You made it so easy for me to be a facilitator :) You also taught me my first Chinese (after TIP of course :) )

Class D (S31) My first class facilitating by myself. You were a huge blessing to me and I will always remember how caring you all were after I was sick.

Class D (S32) Co-facilitating with Naomi and my first Christmas and birthday away from home. You guys made it so special and I loved celebrating with you and will always remember my "surprise" birthday party!

Class B (S34) Co-facilitating with Cassie, who everyone thought we looked alike! By the end of the session you could tell us apart and always made sure we took care of ourselves, especially Cassie who was pregnant!

Class A (S36) You made one of my hardest months at TIP so fun because you always had a great attitude and just wanted to have fun!

Class B (S41) Co-facilitating with Adam, you were my class of all women! You were so helpful and encouraging to each other.

Class C (S45) Co-facilitating with Karen. You were my smallest class, but you made up for it with huge smiles and so much love for everyone.

Class B (S 53) Co-facilitating with Kara. I loved seeing you come together after a rough start to become an amazing family

Large Group (S 54) I never really wanted to do large group, but out of necessity found myself having to do this for a session. It was so much fun seeing the students enthusiasm and excitement each day.

Class B (S 55) My last class. You made the end of my time at TIP so special and showed me and the rest of the class so much love and compassion.

I loved each of my classes so much and an so thankful God gave me the opportunity to spend 20 days with hundreds of students, encouraging them, laughing with them, loving them, and praying for them. I am beyond blessed! 

Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving was great. We had an awesome meal and a great time of conversation. It was a great way to spend my last holiday in China!

WCBA Game!

About a week ago one of the facilitators was able to get tickets for a WCBA game. Her aunt knows one of the players (who plays in the WNBA) and she was able to hook us up :)

Most of us who went

the awesomely hilarious cheerleaders in qipaos and bunny outfits

and of course WE were the halftime entertainment!

Class B game time :)

Game time is always fun. It's a great break for the students because they don't have to think about speaking English. Badminton is one of their favorites and the trust run (where students run through the line and the other students raise their hands right before they would hit them) is a great team building exercise!

KTV

In China you will see signs for KTV's all over the place. And if you talk to a Chinese person it is likely that they LOVE going to KTV. KTV is pretty much karaoke without the random strangers. You get a room for you are all your friends and sign (on our case) ridiculous songs, have fun, and laugh a lot.

Panjiayuan

Panjiayuan has become one of my favorite places in Beijing, so I had to be sure to go again before I leave.

 I love the colors of the items from Yunnan. This market is unique because it is a flea market. 

 People come with handmade items, antiques, and so much more.

 Everyone can easily find sometime they LOVE and it's easy to spend money on quality items.

 Some are neatly displayed, others thrown into piles begging to be searched through.

 But, if you are willing to search there are hidden gems waiting to be found.

 If you want mass produced items, go to the silk market, don't come here

 here you find minorities from Tibet, Yunnan, and other provinces selling items you can watch them make. They happily tell you that "I made this!" and you happily buy it knowing that you have a truly unique item.

I think I'm gonna miss this place...

1 Month...

I am leaving China in 1 month...


I'm not sure how I feel about that right now...

Advice for returning to America from my teammates

1. Do not chew with your mouth open. Do not make smacking noises with your lips. Do not slurp your soup.
2. Do no spit food (bones, fat, other inedible objects) directly onto the table.
3. It is not considered normal to spit on the side of the road (or the middle of the sidewalk)
4. You can't wear the same outfit everyday. You can't even wear the same outfit every other day. Wait at least 2 days before wearing the same outfit because then you at least give the appearance of it being washed.
5. It is not considered normal or appropriate to walk down the street holding your friends hand.
6. If you talk about the people around you there is a 99% chance that they will understand you.
7. It is not considered polite to yell for the waiter at a restaurant.
8. Hacking is not appropriate in any circumstance. 
9. Flushing toilet paper is totally expected and even encouraged.
10. Drinking water out of the faucet will not kill you, it will not even make you a little bit sick.

more to come...